As is well known, automobile accidents are occurring with increasing frequency, and very often the information and evidence essential to just compensation for damages is irretrievably lost, due to the circumstances of the situation. For example, a written description or illustration of the accident made at the time, and the names and addresses of witnesses, are often overlooked due to emotional strain, rather than inability, of the persons involved.

Accordingly, it is an important object of the present invention to provide an accessory for use with an automobile, which affords the user the materials necessary to the proper recording of an accident, which materials are conveniently accessible at all times for use, and may be competently employed by all persons without prior training or experience.

It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide a unique assemblage of accident report form and marking device for filling-in of the form, together with a protective and readily accessible container therefor.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an automotive accessory for reporting accidents, having the advantageous characteristics mentioned in the preceding paragraph, which is extremely simple in construction, durable throughout a long useful life, and which is uniquely cooperative with a key, such as a car key, to provide a key fob therefor.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification and referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a material part of this disclosure.

'The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope will be indicated by the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view showing an automotive accessory constructed in accordanse with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a partial, exploded view of the accessory of FIGURE 1, partly in section for illustrating interior construction thereof;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view illustrating elements of the accessory of FIGURES 1 and 2, apart from the remainder thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal view, partly in section, showing a slightly modified embodiment of the instant invention.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and specifically to FIGURES 1-3 thereof, the accessory device includes an elongate, generally cylindrical or tubular receptacle 10, advantageously fabricated of transparent material, such as plastic, or the like. The receptacle may be of generally cylindrical configuration, having a closed lower end 11, as seen in FIGURE 1. The upper end of the receptacle 10 may be open, as at 12, see FIGURE 2. Extending about the upper end region 12 of receptacle 10 may be fastener means, such as external screw threads 13. The interior of the receptacle 10 defines an internal, generally cylindrical surface 14. 1

Detachably secured over the open upper end 12 of the receptacle 10 may be a closure or cap, generally designated 15. The cap or closure 15 may include a generally cylindrical circumferential wall or skirt 16 having its lower end 17 open and provided internally with screw threads 18 for mating engagement with the screw threads 13. Across the upper end of the circumferential closure wall 16 may be an upstanding bonnet or head 19 having aligned, transverse or diametral thru openings 20 for receiving a key chain 21.

The closure 15 is thus removably engageable in closing relation with the open upper end 12 of receptacle 10, threadedly engaging about the upper end portion of the receptacle and extending thereacross.

Removably inserted in the cylindrical interior 14 of receptacle 10 is an accident-report assembly, generally designated 25. The report assembly is best seen in FIG- URE 3 as including an elongate, generally rectangular sheet 26 of flexible material, such as paper, plastic or the like. The sheet 26 is imprinted with the necessary instructions and blanks to be filled out for completely and accurately reporting an accident, and is entitled Accident Report Form, as appears thereon. The rectangular sheet 26 may be of a width approximately equal to, or slightly less than the internal longitudinal dimension of receptacle 10. At an intermediate location along one longitudinal side of the sheet 26 there is provided extending therefrom a pull tab 27, for a purpose appearing presently.

A marking device is designated 28, and may assume the form of an elongate, presharpened pencil, or other suitable marking device, advantageously of a length slightly less than the width of the sheet 26. In the assembled form of sheet 26 and marking device 28, the sheet is helically coiled or wound about the marking device, the latter serving as a core for the wound sheet, and the assembly is inserted into the interior of receptacle 10, being snugly but removably retained therein, If desired, the marking device may be detachably secured to the sheet 26, as by a staple 29 engaged through the sheet and into the pencil. Other suitable detachable securing means may be provided, such as adhesive. Further, the pencil or marking device 28 need not be positively afiixed to the sheet, frictional engagement therewith serving to remove the marking device together with the sheet from the receptacle 10.

As best seen in FIGURE 2, the coiled assembly 25 of sheet 26 and marking device 28 includes the pull tab 27 projecting beyond the assembly, and beyond the open end 12 of the receptacle 10 when the assembly is engaged in the receptacle. By this projection of tab 27, the latter provides a convenient and elficient means for manually grasping and withdrawing the assembly from the receptacle. As the tab 27 is located intermediate the ends of the wound sheet 26, it will be appreciated that the sheet will not tend to become unwound upon removal by means of the tab.

It is also advantageous that the sheet 26 be provided with the indicia Accident Report Form at a location on the exterior of the outermost convolution of the wound assembly 25. This serves to expose the indicia through the transparent wall of receptacle 10 and provide an irremovable identifying label.

A slightly modified embodiment is shown wherein a receptacle substantially identical in FIGURE 4, generally designated 1012 may be to the receptacle 10 of the firstdescribed embodiment. An end closure or cap may be essentially similar to the end closure or cap 15 of the first-described embodiment, but is preferably provided with an internal surface 30 of at least a diameter equal to the internal diameter of receptacle 10a and located adjacent to the open upper end 12a of the receptacle when in its closed position.

The coiled assembly 2511 corresponds to the previously described assembly 25, and includes an elongate sheet 26 coiled or wound about a marking device, as a core (not shown). However, in the embodiment of FIGURE 4, it will be apparent that one end region 31 of the coiled assembly 25a projects outward through and beyond the open end 12a of the receptacle 10. Hence, upon removal of closure 15a, the projecting end portion 31 of assembly 25a may be directly manually grasped for removal thereof.

From the foregoing it is seen that the present invention provides an automotive accessory for reporting an accident which fully accomplishes its intend-ed objects and is well adapted to meet practical conditions of manufacture and use.

Although the present invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity of understanding, it is understood that certain changes and modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An automotive accessory for reporting an accident, said accessory comprising an elongate imperforate tube having one end closed and one end open, an elongate marking device, a flexible sheet imprinted to provide an accident report form, said sheet being detachably secured to and wound directly about said marking device for assembly therewith, said sheet-and-marking-device assembly being snugly inserted in said tube for simultaneous removal through the open end thereof, said marking device being of a length no greater than the axial dimension of said sheet in its wound condition, and a closure removably secured over said open tube end.

2. An automotive accessory according to claim 1, said sheet-and-marking-device assembly 'being entirely within said tube, and a pull tab extending from a medial convolution of said wound sheet beyond said one tube end for manually removing said assembly.

3. An automotive accessory according to claim 1, said sheet-and-marking-device assembly extending beyond said open tube end when inserted in said tube, to facilitate manual removal of said assembly.

4. An automotive accessory according to claim 1, said tube being at least partially transparent, and said sheet being imprinted for location on the exterior of its outer convolution with identifying indicia for exposure through said tube.